Crossing Lines, Small Crimes
by DarkHououmon
Summary: "I guess I still don't understand why you did it, Penny... Do you have any idea what you almost did!" Note: I deleted this story and reuploaded it in an attempt to fix a problem with the first upload. Part of the ending was cut off. I'm hoping this solves the problem.


Rudy's body was frozen. Everything around him was quiet, dark. He was only aware of the sound of cranking as Snap was being lowered towards that horrible red liquid...the stuff that would burn Snap alive. And standing in front of him was the person responsible.

Penny Sanchez.

His heart clenched. He felt anger building up inside of him, yet he couldn't bring himself to lunge himself at her. He remained frozen in place, staring at her with an expression more mixed with sorrow and hurt than true anger. In his hand, he held his tiny piece of magic chalk. His only line of defense was almost completely used up. He couldn't draw anything to get him out of this...

Penny started to approach him menacingly, that threatening evil smile still covering her face. It was a look he thought he would never get from her. It sent chills down his spine. He couldn't help but wonder why she would do this. She was his best friend, the real world friend he trusted the most. How...how could she do this to him...? To Snap...?

He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to run away. He wanted to unleash his anger against his former friend. Yet that all slowly melted away as Penny got ever closer, the magic chalk twinkling in her hands. It looked so threatening in her hands, and he thought that magic chalk could never look evil. Penny proved him wrong.

Then Penny was right upon him. She pointed the magic chalk in his direction. In defense, he backed away, holding out his hands, hoping that she would show mercy and not hurt him. But she didn't stop, and her hand started to jerk in the air as she started to draw something. A machete...

"Sorry, Rudy. I work for Skrawl now."

That was the last thing he heard before he felt something sharp, a wave of pain, and then he was on his knees. He watched in horror as blood started to drip from the wound in his stomach. Then he crumpled to the ground.

sss

Rudy jolted awake. A lightning bolt flashed, illuminating his room, briefly showing the sweat beads strolling down his face. He was hyperventalating, his breaths coming in and out fast without a break. His wide eyes looked around and he realized he was still in his bedroom in his own home. His panicking heart slowed down and he started to calm down.

It was another one of those dreams. He has been having them for three days now. He has had very few pleasant dreams. He could only remember one. Any other dream he had, it was about what Penny had done. The plan to fake out Skrawl to let his guard down so she could get him more magic chalk. He hadn't told Penny about the dreams. He thought they would go away on their own. But they just kept occurring and they kept getting worse.

And this one, it was the worst one of all. In the other dreams, he always woke up when Penny was walking towards him. But this time, she had gotten close to him, and actually stabbed him. She had...killed him...

Rudy felt an involuntary shudder sweep through his body. He instinctively wrapped his blanket tighter around him, the chill overtaking him. He tried to fight back his tears, but he couldn't stop them. Soon his cheeks were wet with his tears. He laid down on his side and curled his legs towards his chest. He let out a few sobs as he attempted to go back to sleep.

It was useless. Penny was on his mind. Usually that wasn't a bad thing. He cared about her. She always knew what to say to help him feel better. She was his confident... But this time, her being on his mind wasn't comforting. Rather, it was...scary, terrifying. These nightmares about Penny...he wasn't sure how much more he could take.

He just...couldn't understand why she would do such a thing. Why would she take such a huge risk? His body couldn't stop trembling as he thought about what could have happened. Even though he knew she had been acting, he was still..hurt and troubled. Her words, though just part of the act, cut into his heart and mind. He couldn't think of Penny anymore without being reminded of her dreadful appearance and horrible lines she spoke when she acted like she was with Skrawl.

He felt a cold chill as he asked himself a terrible question. Could he really trust Penny? He knew the obvious answer was yes. Yet a part of him had his doubts. She had...she had almost killed Snap... If she had just told them what she was doing, somehow...then maybe...

He shook his head, trying to get those thoughts out of his head. He couldn't let it bother him. Penny had already explained why she did what she did. They had all reconciled and they should have moved on. So...why couldn't he? Why was he unable to let this go?

He knew what he had to do.

Tomorrow, Penny was going to come over for a visit. He would talk to her then. He just hoped that he would be able to talk to her without his emotions getting in the way. He just...really wanted to set things straight with her. He wanted to make sure that he could still trust her.

He hoped that Penny would be in the mood to talk.

sss

It was close to noon. Rudy glanced numbly at the clock. Any minute, Penny would be walking through the door, and his mother would be calling out to him. He stayed on his bed, covers pulled up to his chest. He hadn't bothered getting out of bed. He just...didn't feel like it. His mind was too preoccupied to care.

He heard the sound of footsteps coming up. He guessed it was his mom or dad telling him Penny was there. He looked over at the door. He would have tried to get up, but he wasn't in the mood. He heard the doorknob turn. He kept staring, waiting for his mom or dad to come in.

His eyes widened when he saw it was Penny.

Why...why hadn't his parents said anything? They would always tell him when Penny had arrived. He didn't hear his parents at all. Okay so there were a few times where Penny came up on her own, but those were few and far between. Did...did something happen?

Rudy's mind started to race. He started having horrible thoughts. Irrationality started to grip his mind as he had images of his parents dead in the kitchen, Penny standing over them with a knife. No, he couldn't think like that. Penny wouldn't do something like that. And yet...she did almost kill Snap... No, she was his friend. She had only been acting. She wouldn't truly betray him.

And yet...she did go through with a risky plan that could have gotten Snap killed. He had been so close to death, and if he hadn't thought fast, he would have landed in that red stuff and died. And what did Penny do? Just watch and smile... She showed absolutely no concern about Snap's safety, and when he had saved him, Penny didn't sound relieved. Just..amused...

Rudy jolted up in his bed, his eyes staring down at Penny in absolute fear. He pressed his back against the wall, his breath quickening. The nightmares of her betrayal came flooding back to him. The machete in his recent dream, he could still feel the pain of it slicing into his stomach. He touched that area, making sure that it hadn't really occurred.

Penny's smile she had when she walked into his bedroom had quickly faded into one of concern. Penny slowly shut the door behind her. Rudy's eyes widen and his heart started to pound. She took a few steps towards him, and stopped when Rudy let out a small scream.

"Rudy? What's wrong?" Penny cried, concern lacing her voice. She took another step forward. "It's just me!"

Rudy tried to calm himself down. This wasn't another one of his nightmares. This was reality. This was the real Penny he was looking at, not one of those horrible fake Pennys he had to deal with in his dreams. Yet he still couldn't think very rationally.

Through clenched teeth, he said, "Where are my parents...?"

Penny looked at him with a perplexed expression. She glanced out the door for a second, then returned her gaze to Rudy. "They're fine, Rudy. They...told me that you haven't left your room, so they thought you might be sick. They asked me to check on you..."

So that's what it had been. His parents didn't want to bother him by calling out to him. It would make sense that they'd think he was sick. He didn't get out of bed all day, except to use the bathroom. And he is usually up and about at this time. No wonder his parents believed him to be ill.

Rudy took in a few breaths, his body slowly relaxing as he told himself Penny wasn't going to hurt him and that his parents and Snap were safe. He still felt a little uneasy as Penny got closer to him, but he fought off that feeling, trying to remain rational. He couldn't allow himself to become frightened and hateful of Penny.

He managed to get himself to walk down the ladder. Each step closer to Penny caused his heart to clench. He fought off the feeling the best he could. When he took the final step off the ladder, he stared at Penny. He opened his mouth to stay something, but no words would come out.

Penny asked, "Are you feeling okay, Rudy? You not coming out of bed all morning is quite alarming, especially with someone your age."

"Y-Yeah...I'm fine..." Rudy managed to say, his voice a tad shaky.

Penny didn't look convinced. "Are you sure? Something must be bothering you if you laid down in bed all morning like that."

She took a step towards Rudy. She was confused when he took a step back. She walked closer to him and reached out with her hand. She gently placed it against his forehead so she could feel how warm the skin was. Rudy, in a panic, pulled his hand away and backed off quickly from Penny, his body trembling.

"Rudy?" Penny asked, sounding very worried. "Why are you acting this way? You don't have a high fever, so I know you aren't delirious. Please Rudy...you can talk to me..."

Penny tried to get closer to Rudy. But Rudy kept backing off. When he was in a corner, he pressed himself against it. He stared at her, his eyes showing a mix of fear and anger. Penny, realizing that she wasn't going to be able to get close to him, not like this, backed off. She let out a sigh and sat down on the ground, crossing her legs together.

Rudy started to settle down. He started to feel guilty. He hadn't meant to act like that around Penny. He didn't mean for his fear to get so strong that it wold effect him in real life. He kept telling himself this was reality, yet his mind constantly thought he was still stuck in those bad dreams, where some fake Penny truly did betray him, and tried to hurt him...killed him... He fought against his mind, trying to force those horrible thoughts out of his head.

"I don't know why you're acting like this, Rudy. And I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on." Penny said. She almost took another step forward, but clearly had second thoughts about it and remained where she stood. "If you just tell me..." She bit her lip. "..if something is on your mind Rudy, if something is troubling you...please tell me. I...I want to help you..."

Rudy looked at her sadly, with some hope intermixed. He hoped that she would be able to quell these fears he's been having. He hoped that her words would help him feel better. She always knew just what to say. She often knew how to help him feel better. He had to keep telling himself that she can be trusted. She was his best friend...

Yet he could not shake off the feelings of anger and betrayal. He tried to fight back against them. He tried to force them to flee his mind. He couldn't allow himself to let anger cloud his judgment. He couldn't let this become a repeat of what happened when he wrote Michelle a poison pen letter. Especially with how much of a mess that got him into.

Rudy felt his teeth start to clench lightly. He turned his head away from Penny. Confessing about these nightmares...it was going to be harder than he thought. It was going to be even worse if he tried to tell her how he has been feeling afraid of her the past few days. How...how was he going to tell her?

Finally, Rudy managed to choke out one word in a hushed whisper. A single word that summed up how he felt the past few days.

"Wh-why...?"

Penny tilted her head in confusion. "Why what, Rudy?"

Rudy replied, his voice clearer this time, "Why did you do it...?"

Penny looked more confused than ever. She stared at Rudy, looking very unsure of what to make of the situation. She looked confused, perplexed, completely uncertain of what Rudy was getting at. "What did I do?"

"Why did you act like you were with Skrawl..and not tell me about it?" Rudy said that in a slightly darker, more bitter voice than he intended.

Penny's eyes widened a little. She stared at Rudy, clearly in shock. "That is what has been bothering you, Rudy? I thought we were over it! I apologized, didn't I?"

Rudy nodded his head stiffly. "Yeah, I know you apologized... But..I don't get it... Why would you come up wihth such a dangerous idea? Why couldn't you have told me about it?"

"Rudy..." Penny began.

Rudy felt the anger start to rise up inside of him. His eyes slowly narrowed. Soon, he was glaring at Penny like she was Skrawl himself. Hish harsh glare clearly intimidated Penny. She started to move back away from Rudy, her hands out in front of her like she was going to try to defend herself from him.

Rudy realized what he was doing and forced himself to relax. He softened up his face. He looked at Penny with a sorrow-filled face, regret clearly showing. He hadn't meant to feel this angery towards her. He hadn't meant to make her feel comfortable. He just...wanted some answers. He wanted understanding.

Yet, his relaxation didn't last for very long. The nightmares cut into his mind too deeply for him to simply shrug off these feelings. Anger returned with a vengance. And no matter how much he fought this time, he wasn't able to control the anger.

"I guess I still don't understand why you did it, Penny..." Rudy said. His voice was trembling. Anger clearly laced his voice. He stared at Penny, his eyes wide with a mix of sadness and anger. His body started to shake in anger, and he blurted out the next phrase, unable to stop himself. "Do you have any idea what you almost did?!"

Penny gasped and took a step back. "What..what do you mean?"

"Don't give me that..." Rudy advanced on Penny, the anger now taking control of him. He jabbed a finger in Penny's direction, a scowl on his face. "You almost killed Snap!"

"Rudy, I had to make it look convincing..." Penny tried to say.

Rudy cut her off. "Convincing? Oh yeah, I'm sure it'll convince Skrawl that you were on his side, by killing Snap and leaving him to rot on that wretched pot of yours!" He paused for a moment and glared at Penny. She didn't try to cut him off this time. He took a step towards her. "I used to think I could trust you...but..how can I trust you now? After what you have done?"

"It was just an act!" Penny exclaimed, a tinge of frustration on her voice. "I was only doing it to save you guys!"

"And what if I wasn't fast enough?! What if I failed to save Snap?! If he had fallen in, he would have died!" Rudy yelled, his voice raising higher than he had intended. He started to back Penny into a corner. "He could have died, Penny! Don't you understand?! He could have died!"

By this point, he had completely cornered Penny. Her back was pressed against the wall. She stared wide-eyed at Rudy. Her expression held a hint of fear in it, but Rudy didn't notice. The anger in his mind was already clouding his perception, and all he could see before him was the girl who had almost killed his friend.

Penny stammered, "B-But Rudy...I had to put on a convincing performance! Otherwise, Skrawl would have..."

"He would have what? Destroyed your homework?" Rudy said, sounding meaner than he had intended. "Yeah, that's a good enough excuse to throw your friends' lives away! You could have lost both me and Snap in that scheme of yours, but hey, at least your biology report would be safe!"

Penny's widened in shock, her mouth dropping open. She pushed herself further against the wall, trying to get away from Rudy. She tried to find an escape route. But there was none, because Rudy blocked her way out. He used his body to keep her boxed in the corner. All she could do was look at the taller child, her eyes locked onto his.

Rudy knew what he was doing was wrong. His rational side kept screaming at him to stop this, to not do this to Penny. But once again, his anger was in charge. His impulse was beating out any sense of logic. All the sorrow, anger, frustration, and hurt he had felt since the whole 'chalk queen' incident was coming forward, all wrapped up in one large emotional package. His body started to tremble from anger. His eyes practically glowed with how intense they were.

"Rudy...it wasn't like that at all..." Penny said, her voice softer than before. Her eyes were wide, pleading. It was obvious she didn't want this. She wanted to get away, but she had nowhere to go. "Please Rudy...I only did it to protect you and Snap..."

"Protect us?!" Something inside Rudy had snapped. Without thinking, he gripped Penny by her shoulders and yanked her forward. He ignored her cry of pain, ignored the fact he was gripping her too hard. He put his face close to hers and snarled, "By tricking me into thinking you were with Skrawl?! By almost murdering Snap?! Is that your idea of 'protecting us'?! Because if it is, then I wish Fido had eaten your dumb report!"

Now it was Penny's turn to look furious. She started to push back against Rudy, forcing herself out of the corner, making him move back. Her eyes intensified behind her glasses. She glared at Rudy. There was a mix of hurt in with the anger, as well as a tad bit of shock.

"I worked hard on that biology report and you know it! And do you honestly think I cared more about it than I did you guys?!" Penny snapped at him. She wrenched herself free of Rudy's grasp and jabbed a finger against Rudy's shoulder. He winced as it did hurt a little. "What kind of friend do you think I am if I thought my biology report was worth more than you or Snap?"

Rudy sneered, "Why else would Skrawl have used the threat of destroying your report as a means of making you turn over to his side?"

Penny gasped at this. She looked like she wanted to say something, but nothing would come out. Rudy glared at her. He took this as a confession, an admittance that he had the right idea. He recalled on what she had told him and Snap. He was there when Skrawl had unleashed Fido on her work. He was well aware of the 'ransom' he had given her, the ultimatum.

It was either work with Skrawl or lose the biology report. Rudy hadn't thought about it before, but now his mind burned in anger at the thought. Skrawl had used not him or Snap, but some written work to lure Penny to his side. And Skrawl was an intelligent zoner. If he had done that, then he might have been onto something. It was almost like Penny really did care more about the report than him or Snap. Why else would Skrawl of used that as his ransom?

"That's...that's not..." Penny started to say.

Rudy cut her off. "Don't lie to me! I saw the dog! I saw the papers! I know how he got to you! You even told us!" His voice was heavily laced in anger. His words were practically dripping with venom by now. "I really hope that biology report was worth it, Penny, because it almost became your only friend! You hear that? You almost lost your two best friends, and all because of some stupid biology report! Was it worth it Penny? Was it really?!"

Rudy was still gripping Penny's shoulders. She was struggling to get free now. She pushed against him. He refused to let go. Her anger was still there, but it was clear there was fear mixed in. Her struggles increased, practically panicking right now. But at the moment, Rudy didn't care. The anger started to flow and he was unable to turn off the faucet. He just kept spewing anger-laced words at her, uncaring of how harsh he sounded, or who much he was hurting her shoulders.

"And I hope almost killing Snap was worth it for you! If I hadn't known to draw milk, or if I had hesitated a second longer, he would have died! And guess what? I don't think you were going to do a thing to help him in case your little plan failed! When I saved Snap, you didn't look one bit relieved! You just smiled and acted like it was nothing! If Snap died, I...I would never have forgiven you!" Rudy growled at her, his eyes narrowed into slits. By now, he gripped her shoulders so tightly that his fingernails started to dig into her skin. "So how does it feel, Penny? How does it feel almost being a murderer?!"

Penny tried harder to get away. She tried to pull Rudy's hands from her shoulders. He responded by holding on tighter. She jerked her shoulders left and right, trying to pry her way free. Her previous anger was now replaced with panicked fear. Her wide eyes stared into his narrowed eyes as she continued struggling and thrashing.

Soon, she looked like she was about to call for help. She moved her head back, her eyes wide with fear. She kept looking at the door, as if she was hoping that Rudy's parents would come in, see this, and stop their son. Then she looked over at the window, looking like she wanted to jump out of it now, even though it was not a very smart thing to do.

Rudy started to feel a small pang of guilt. Yet it went ignored. The anger he was feeling was overriding anything else at the moment. He was unable to register what he was doing. He couldn't stop himself. He was at the mercy of his anger. He knew how frightened Penny was at this point, yet he couldn't control himself anymore. He had a feeling he was going to regret this once he calmed down, but at the moment, he was unable to really care.

The fact that Penny's scheme almost resulted in Snap dying...that was the only thing on his mind now. And why had she done it? To him, it was just because of her biology report. Skrawl mentioned nothing about him or Snap. He didn't tell Penny that they'd die if she didn't cooperate. No, the only thing at stake for Penny was her report. And the fact that she came up with such a convoluted plan, when that was the only thing she had to worry about, made Rudy's blood boil.

"Rudy...please let me go..." Penny begged, her body shaking. "You're...you're hurting me...please don't do this..."

Rudy just narrowed his eyes. "You already hurt me."

"Please..." Penny pleaded with him. She tried to pull herself away from him, but she had no luck. His grip was like a vice. She winced in pain as she felt his fingernails dig deeper into her. "I didn't mean to upset you so much... I'm..I'm sorry, Rudy. I promise I won't try a stunt like that again...just please, let me go..."

Rudy refused to listen. He held onto her. He was almost afraid that, if he dared let go, she would do something else to hurt him. Suddenly, the world around him started to grow dark, and the only person he could see was Penny. Memories of his nightmares started to flood back to him, swirling through his thoughts, clouding them.

Penny, shaking like a leaf by this point, started to reach into her pocket. Rudy's eyes snapped wide open at this. His mind started to race faster. Flashes of the nightmare came back. Penny pulling out a machete and stabbing him in the stomach...

"No!" He screamed before doing something he had never intended to do.

He didn't know why he did it. He couldn't believe he'd do such a thing. He...he pushed her. No, he practically threw her into the ground. Her body slammed against the ground with a heavy thud. Her left shoulder smashed against the hardwood floor. The push had been so hard that she skidded a little on the ground. She let out a cry of pain. It took Rudy a few seconds to realize that the fall wasn't the sole reason she had this.

When he pushed her, he didn't loosen his grip enough. In fact, he barely did, resulting in his nails, which were dug so deep into her skin, to cut into her. Both her arms sported long red scratches on them. Granted, they weren't too bad since his nails weren't particularly sharp, being nothing like claws. But the sight of the red marks on her arms did snap Rudy out of his anger, and, at last, the realization of what he had done started to sink in.

His anger melted away, leaving his body like someone had pulled the drain. His eyes widened. He shook his head in denial. No..he didn't just do that... Why did he do that...? He took a few steps away from Penny, staring at her on the ground. Instinct told him to help her up, but his mind screamed at him that it was his fault she was like this. Guilt filled every crevice of his body and again his body started to shake, but from sorrow and fear of what he did, not because of what Penny did.

Penny looked up at him. Their eyes met. Rudy felt a pang in his heart as he saw the way she was looking at him. Her eyes were filled with shock and hurt. She clearly looked betrayed. He realized that her look..it was the same way he had been looking at her. He took a step back, not taking his eyes off of her. His eyes traced along her arms, taking note of the five red scratches they both adorned now. He flinched at the sight of them. He...he hadn't meant to do that...

"P-Penny..." He choked out. He couldn't say anything else. What could he say?

Penny didn't answer him. Slowly, she got back to her feet. She stared at Rudy as she started to back away from him. Rudy could now see what she had been reaching for. The object had fell to the ground. It had been her mom's cellphone, which she was allowed to borrow, but rarely.

Guilt slammed into Rudy like a freight train. He had shoved her down. He had hurt her, and why? Because he let his imagination get the better of him. He had allowed his mind to trick him into thinking Penny was pulling out a machete, when she was only reaching for her cellphone...

...because she had become frightened of him. As Rudy stared at Penny, he realized just how scared Penny really was. He had boxed her into a corner. He had yelled at her. He had not allowed her to get away. And she was reaching for her mom's cell phone...to call for help..

He shook his head in disbelief. He stared at his hands, trembling from the shock of what happened. He could see a bit of red on his fingers. Blood from Penny... He had drawn blood. He never thought he would ever hurt Penny. She...she trusted him... and he had hurt her. He took a few steps back away from her, taking in quick breaths, almost hyperventilating. Powerful guilt started to overcome the rage he was feeling shortly before.

His body trembled harder. Penny had taken a defensive stance, preparing herself for whatever Rudy decided to attack her again. He held himself back. Although he still felt some anger, although he still felt afraid of Penny because of her actions as the chalk queen, at last his conscience was surfacing. The realization that he had hurt Penny had allowed his rational thoughts to take over, preventing his anger from taking control again.

A part of him was almost sickenly satisfied by what he did. That maybe now Penny would understand how it felt for him and Snap when she pulled that stunt of hers. That she might now experience at least a little of the pain that they had to endure. But the other part was overwhelmed with guilt. He had never meant to injure Penny like that. Even though it was just scratches and nothing too severe, the fact that he had caused her to bleed, even just a little, that he had shoved her into the ground based on a misunderstanding...

Rudy did the only thing he could think of doing.

He grabbed his magic chalk and rushed to the chalkboard. He created a portal and escaped into ChalkZone.

sss

"Whoa, slow down, Bucko! Just...what happened?" Snap cried.

Rudy had a hard time calming himself down. He was still in shock about what he had done to Penny. He was ashamed of the way he acted. He couldn't believe he had actually cut her like that. Okay so cut might be a bit of an exaggeration. They were only scratches. But still, he caused her to bleed...and over a misunderstanding too...

The first place he thought of going was to Snap. And here he was. He had been running the whole time. His heart pounded against his chest. His lungs were on fire, begging for more oxygen. His throat was getting really dry, but he couldn't do anything about it while in ChalkZone. His head was spinning, filled with flashes of what he had done, and bits of the nightmare he had intermixed with those flashes.

When he had gotten to Snap's place, the zoner had been shocked by his current state. Snap knew something was up when he saw how red Rudy's face was from all the running, the way he was breathing so quickly, the sweat beads on his face. Rudy hadn't even said anything, and Snap knew something was up. He was quite intuitive that way. He knew Rudy well, and he knew when something was wrong.

Snap helped the exhausted Rudy into his home. He let Rudy sit on his chair to help him relax. When Rudy's breathing had started to slow down, that was when Snap asked what was going on. Rudy tried to explain, but he spoke too fast and his words slurred into each other. Snap had a hard time following.

It was clear Snap knew something was really troubling Rudy. He stared at his creator and friend with a worried expression. He didn't try to hurry Rudy as he could see how tired he was. And when Rudy was finally a little more relaxed, when his heart wasn't about to jump out of his chest anymore, he started to speak.

And he didn't beat around the bush. He said only one line, and it was something he was not proud of. It was the one thing that he regretted the most. And he admitted to it right away, instead of trying to bury it behind other explanations.

"I...I hurt Penny..." Rudy said, his voice low.

The reaction Snap had didn't surprise Rudy. The zoner's eyes had went wide. His mouth dropped open in shock. He stared at Rudy, almost like he was expecting it to be some kind of joke. Then, after a few seconds, Snap jumped into the air, his arms stretched out from his sides.

"You did what?!" Snap cried out in horror. "Wh-Why would you do that?!"

"Look I didn't mean to, I..." Rudy sighed. There was no way he could justify what he had done. He should have controlled himself better. He should have seen how scared she was getting and let her go like she asked of him. He should have... "I feel just horrible about it..."

"I should hope so." Snap said. The tone he used wasn't angry or mean. It was more disappointment. "She's your best friend. What would possess you to hurt her? And just..what did you do to her?"

Rudy understood why Snap was upset with him. He knew how close he and Penny were. They were all close friends. Snap would never do anything to deliberately hurt any of his friends, and he believed Rudy and Penny were the same way. And it was true. Rudy wouldn't want to see any of his friends injured. And whenever they get into a fight, he did make sure that they do make up afterwards. He didn't like to stay angry at his friends, and he would never have dreamed of hurting any of them.

The news of him actually physically injuring Penny, even if it were just minor, was definitely upsetting to Snap. He had looked up to Rudy, and cared deeply for him. Snap generally got along with everyone, and rarely did he get into arguments. He preferred to coexist peacefully with others and is almost never the one to initiate fights.

Rudy felt like such a disappointment to Snap. A let down. He had allowed his anger to control him and, in a brief moment, hurt Penny. This is something he had never done before. He argued with his friends, yes. But he never attacked them. He never tried to do physical harm. And the fact that he had done so, in such a blind rage, it...it frightened him.

Rudy looked at Snap in the eyes. He winced as he saw the hurt in them. Snap was clearly upset by all of this. Penny was his friend too. "I should...probably start the beginning..." He said in a soft voice.

Snap nodded his head slowly. "Yeah...please do."

Rudy took in a deep breath. This was the first time he ever told anyone about his nightmares. It was difficult for him to talk about them. They were...so unpleasant... That was one of the reasons why he never brought it up before. They were just too painful to talk about.

But he knew he had to do it. If he kept letting it build up inside of him...what else could he do to Penny...? The thought horrified him.

"You see Snap...remember when Skrawl kidnapped Penny a few days ago? And she pretended to be the chalk queen?"

Snap nodded his head once.

"Well..ever since then I've..been having nightmares. Horrible ones, where she really did betray us. Where she really did want to work for Skrawl... Then in the last dream I had, she...she killed me..." Rudy bit his lip hard as he said that. He shuddered at the memory. Snap looked horrified. Rudy continued. "That...had really shaken me up. The other nightmares were bad, but they weren't that bad. But that...I was really scared for a while after that. The image of Penny smiling so evilly, stabbing me in the stomach like it was nothing..."

Snap nodded slowly in understanding. "I know how you feel, Bucko. It wasn't easy for me being tied up and hung over that boiling pot of...whatever it was. Anyway, continue."

"Penny had come over shortly after. I..let my imagination get the better of me. That dream, the one where she killed me, it...effected me more than I thought it would. It started to take control of me. I began to feel...afraid of Penny. I kept looking at her like she was the enemy. I started to...talk aggressively towards her." Rudy said, his voice full of sorrow.

"What did you say to her?" Snap asked.

"I told her about how she almost killed you... That you would have died if I wasn't fast enough...and I accused her of caring more about her report than us..." Rudy said. Snap was clearly shocked by this. Rudy looked at him sadly. "I know...It was stupid of me to say that. I know she's our friend... I know she would never really betray us. But at the time...I wasn't thinking clearly. I was so..stupid. Then I...I..."

Memories of what he did flooded back to him. He recalled the hurt look in Penny's eyes. He remembered her scream of pain. He remembered the thud of her body hitting the hard floor. The bloody red lines on her arms, he could see them now...He remembered the sickening satisfaction he felt when Penny was on the ground. It was brief, but the fact that some part of him was actualy happy about this...it scared him...

This was the part he really didn't want to talk about. He wanted to just leave it at that. He didn't want to think about what he did. But Snap would not allow it. He would want to know what he did, and if Rudy didn't tell him, he would go to Penny and find out.

"I had grabbed her by the shoulders. I squeezed her so hard...I was hurting her. She was trying to get away, but I wouldn't listen. She...she tried to call for help, but I thought that she was reaching for a knife... I shoved her into the ground with all my strength. I...scratched her in the process..." Rudy put his hands to his face in shame. "Now she has a bruised shoulder and red scratches on both her arms, and it's all because of me! All because I was too stupid to tell reality from fantasy!"

After his outburst, the room fell silent. The only thing that could be heard was the inhaling and exhaling of breath and an occasional chalk bird chirping in the background. Wind swept through Snap's open window, and though it wasn't cold, it chilled Rudy.

It did feel kind of good to finally tell someone about what was going on. It felt like a weight was lifted up from him. Even though he should really be talking to Penny about this, it was still nice to talk to someone about it. It was better than keeping it all in. He didn't know what he would have done if he kept on leaving this a secret, if he refused to speak up and tell someone that something was wrong with him. Snap was a good listener. He hoped that he would have some bit of advice. He usually does.

But when Snap didn't say anything for a while, Rudy got worried. Had he gone too far this time? Sure, he got into scraps before, like when he teased Reggie during his 'disappearing act'. But this time was different. He had actually hurt someone. Not only emotionally. Physically too. He had...outright attacked Penny, and he wouldn't be surprised if Snap was appalled by the action.

The longer the silence went on, the more uneasy Rudy felt. He couldn't tell if Snap was angry with him, or if he was so shocked he wasn't sure what to say. Snap's expression never changed. He was just staring at him in complete shock. But he didn't give any indication if he was angry with him, if he simply had no response, if he was in deep thought..nothing. All Rudy could do was guess. And not knowing was making him feel anxious.

Snap's expression finally changed. Rudy watched as his eyes narrowed just slightly. It wasn't a clear indication of anger. It was more confusion and curiosity.

"Did you apologize to her?"

That was Snap's first question, cutting through the silence that had hung in the air for several minutes. And Rudy froze at the question.

There was no way he could lie to Snap. He would be able to figure it out pretty quickly if he was being truthful or not. But he also wasn't sure if he could tell him the truth. Would Snap be angry if he told him he hadn't apologized to Penny? Would he be even more disappointed in him than he already was?

Rudy turned his head from Snap, not wanting to look at him in the eyes. "I...no...I didn't...I was in such shock at what I did I...I just ran. I came into ChalkZone and just ran..."

Rudy closed his eyes. He waited for the verbal beatdown he was sure he would get from Snap. He wouldn't fault him for it either. He did kind of deserve it after how he attacked Penny. He would understand if Snap was furious at him for this. He wouldn't blame Snap if he yelled at him.

But instead of a scolding like he had expected, he instead got something else.

A hand touched his shoulder. Rudy opened his eyes and saw that Snap had quietly walked over towards him. His face, his eyes didn't hold anger or disgust like he thought they would. Instead, there was just sympathy and understanding. Rudy opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out. He just..didn't know what to say to this.

"Bucko...you need to talk to her." Snap said firmly.

Rudy's eyes widened. How...how could he just go back and talk to Penny now? After what he did to her..? Would she even listen? Would she allow him the time of day to explain his actions? After all, he didn't let her speak. Why would she let him speak?

Rudy shook his head slowly. "I...I don't know, Snap... She probably hates me.."

"Oh don't think like that." Snap said. "Penny doesn't hate you. I agree that you did go too far...but I understand you didn't mean it. And I'm sure Penny knows this too. Go back to her and talk to her. Tell her you're sorry."

Rudy knew Snap was right. Sooner or later, he would have to face Penny. And if he put it off for too long, the worse it was going to get. He was better off talking to Penny as soon as possible.

Yet..he wasn't sure if he could face her. The look in her eyes. That expression of betrayal..aimed right at him... Could he really handle another round of that? Was that indication that she...didn't trust him anymore? The thought that he had broken her trust...it was awful to think about. And it was all because of his own stupidity.

And as much as it scared him, he was still feeling that fear and anger, both from what Penny did, and what happened in the dreams. What if they came to dominate his thoughts again? What if he lashed out at her again like he did before? What if he loses touch in reality and starts to think crazy things, like Penny reaching behind to stab him in the stomach?

"I...I just don't want to hurt her again, Snap." Rudy admitted, clenching his teeth in sadness. "I..don't know what came over me. The anger...I couldn't control it."

"There there, Bucko..." Snap patted Rudy on the back. "We all get like that sometimes. Anger is a powerful emotion, and it can be a wild animal when not controlled properly. We all eventually lose control of it. We do things we aren't proud of. What is important is that we recognize what we did was wrong and we fix it. Face it, Rudy. Things won't get any better until you march over there and tell Penny that you're sorry for what you did."

Again, Rudy did know Snap was telling the truth. He agreed with him. Yet, his mind wouldn't let him just get up and walk away. Something was keeping him away from Penny, and it was the fear of what he might do to her this time, and the fear of how she might react to his return.

"And if you're still angry about what she did as the chalk queen..."

Rudy stared at Snap, his eyes widened. He waited for Snap to continue, half-expecting him to scold him about how ridiculous it was he would believe Penny would really hurt them. But what he actually said surprised Rudy.

"I am not angry with Penny for what she did. I was shocked yes, but when I found out why she did it, I was fine. I couldn't really be angry with her, especially when I knew the truth. She did it only to protect us, Rudy." Snap said.

"Protect us..." Rudy repeated in a soft voice. "Yeah..she did say that, but I just...threw it back at her..." He narrowed his eyes slightly as he felt the guilt rising up inside of him. "I...I said that if that was her idea of protecting us...that I wished she had lost her stupid homework..."

Snap's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Oh Rudy..."

"I know..it was stupid of me..." Rudy said, clutching his scalp with his fingers, digging his nails in. "I don't know why I said that. It just slipped out... And when she said that she cared more about us than the report...I scoffed at the idea...I told her...she had to be wrong if Skrawl threatened her homework and not us to get her onto his side..."

"You don't honestly believe that, do you, Bucko?" Snap asked, his eyes widening a little.

Rudy hesitated, then shook his head. "No...I don't..."

Snap nodded his head. "Penny wouldn't betray us. Not for real anyway. I'm sure you might be surprised that I was able to get over it so easily, despite being in the greater danger."

Rudy hadn't thought about it, but Snap did make a point. He was surprise, in shock. Rudy had thought that he would have been at least a little mad. But even as they initially left that place Skrawl had taken Penny, immediately after the chalk queen ruse, Snap hadn't acted aggressive towards Penny at all. He had never given her a hard time, even though he could have died with her crazy scheme.

If anyone deserved to be furious at Penny, it was Snap. He almost died because of her. And yet, he was not only still willing to be friends with her, but he had forgiven her for what she did, even if it was just an act, and he was concerned about her when Rudy confessed he attacked her. It was clear Snap still considered Penny a good friend.

"It's because I knew, deep down, she didn't have much of a choice. I mean, think about it. Buckette needed a way to stall for time. Her homework was important, but not as important as her own life, and ours. I wouldn't put it past Skrawl to kill Penny if she gave him too much of a hard time. Penny must have known that you would be low on chalk when you got here, and she knew that Skrawl had a bunch of magic chalk at his disposal. She needed to gain his trust so she could get the magic chalk from him. So she had to put on a convincing show."

Rudy remained quiet as Snap spoke.

"If she hadn't put on the show, if she hadn't fooled Skrawl into thinking she was on his side, then...what would have happened? We would have gone to Skrawl's place, Penny might have been dead or locked up somewhere, whatever that hideous growling jellybean decided, and found his own way to reduce your magic chalk. And after that, then what? We would have been trapped. We would have been captured and forced to be Skrawl's slaves. And that is the best case scenario. I'm sure he had other, more dire plans in store for us."

Rudy let this sink in for a moment. Snap did make some valid points. Things might have been a whole lot worse if Penny hadn't acted. There were other things that could have happened, but Snap's view made the most sense, and it was the most plausible.

Penny's acting, even if it was dangerous, did save them in the end. She had managed to get the magic chalk for him, away from Skrawl. They were able to stop his scheme and defeat him. With the help of her crazy 'chalk queen' scheme, she had managed to save all three of them from Skrawl's wrath. If she hadn't been such a good actor, if she hadn't thought of that...then the results could have been far, far worse.

"You're..you're right Snap...I hadn't thought of it that way.." Rudy's eyes widened in realization. That may have been what Penny had been trying to tell him the whole time. And he would have gotten the message..if he had just been willing to listen...

Snap gave him a smile. Then he yanked his arm gently. "What are you waiting for? Go patch things up with Buckette!"

Rudy knew his friend was right. He couldn't sit here for much longer. He had to go face Penny. Even if she might be angry at him, even if she didn't want to listen to him, he couldn't hide from this. He had to confront her and tell her the truth. He had to tell her about his nightmares. He had to tell her that he was sorry about what he did.

He slowly got up out of the chair. He looked out of Snap's window. He looked in the direction where the portal was. He couldn't see it from here, but he knew it was there. And waiting behind there was probably Penny...if she hadn't left yet.

His heart clenched as he realized that Penny might have left by now. She might have told her mother what happened. His parents might know what happened. The idea of having to face some angry parents wasn't a pleasant thought. But if he wanted to make things right, he had to be wiling to face that.

He looked at his blue colored friend. He gave a grateful smile. He wrapped his arms around Snap and pulled him into a hug.

"Thanks, Snap..." He said in a soft voice.

"No problem, Rudy." Snap said. "Now...go apologize." He pointed his arm in the direction Rudy had been looking in. "I'm sure she's still there, waiting for you. Don't be afraid of her, Rudy. Talk to her. She's still your friend. Tell her what you've been going through. She will understand."

Rudy nodded his head. He turned around and left Snap's house. He paused for a moment, trying to think of what to say, how he could explain himself.

Then he began to walk towards the portal in the distance.

sss

Rudy wasn't sure what he expected when he got back home. Maybe he expected his parents to be waiting for him, preparing to scold him for hurting Penny. Maybe he thought that Penny called her mother and he would have to face the wrath of her mom. Or even the police... Maybe Penny could have went as far as call the police and told them how he had assaulted her.

He didn't see any of that when he had come back. Instead, he saw something a bit unexpected. Something he thought he wouldn't see when he came back. And when he did see it, through the portal, he had to rub his eyes and doublecheck to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Penny was still there. She was still in his room. She hadn't left. She was sitting on the floor, cross legged, with her back turned to the portal. She looked almost like she was waiting for him to come back.

Yet Rudy hesitated. He felt bad for what he had done. He fully expected her to chew him out the moment he went back through the portal. He realized she was sitting there, waiting for him, because she knew that he had to come out sometime soon. He wouldn't be able to stay in ChalkZone forever, especially since his parents were home and might come up to the bedroom and check on him and Penny.

He wondered if Penny wanted to talk to him. No...why should she? He hurt her... He was her friend and he still hurt her. Even from this distance, he could see a bit of the scratches he had given to her. He stared at his hands again. The tiny bit of blood that was on his fingers had mostly gone away. There was only a few rogue specks of dried blood left. But the few specks of blood was a harsh reminder that, yes, he had scratched her up. He didn't mean to, but that didn't change the fact that he did.

And though he could not see her shoulder since it was covered by the sleeve, he knew that her left shoulder was bruised. He wasn't exactly gentle with her when he shoved her down. There was a pretty loud clang when she collided with the hard floor. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw her reach for her shoulder and rub it. He saw her tense up in pain. It was apparent her shoulder was sore. He bit his lip, feeling even more guilty.

Rudy knew that, sooner or later, he would have to face the music. He thought about Snap's words. He did have to apologize to Penny and make it right. Things would get worse if he just put it off. Nothing would get better if he sat around feeling sorry for himself. And Snap was right. Penny was still his friend. She might be mad at him right now, and she had every right to be. But she wouldn't hate him.

Rudy sucked in a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to do. He went over to the portal and drew a ladder so he could get up there. He climbed up and he poked his head through the portal. Penny hadn't noticed him, or if she did, she gave no acknowledgement. Rudy, carefully and as quietly as he could, came back through the portal.

He wasn't sure how long he was gone. It couldn't have been too long. He guessed maybe half an hour, or less. Guessing from how the portal was still uncovered, he guessed his parents didn't try to come up into the room. He took a few steps forward, staring down at Penny.

"I see you're back."

Rudy was taken aback. Was that Penny? The voice sounded a little...cold. But there was no one else in the room. He felt his heart ache. Had Snap been wrong?

"I know you're there, Rudy. You may talk."

That time, Penny's voice sounded a little more angry than cold. She didn't bother moving from her spot. She didn't turn her head to look at him. She just kept her back towards him. Rudy bit his lip. She must be really angry if she wouldn't even look at him.

Or was she even angry at all? What if this was fear? He had been pretty nasty to her. And she had shown fear to him, something she never did before. She might be worried that he was going to attack her again. Almost instinctively, he took a step back, as if somehow that would help her feel a little better.

Rudy said, "Y-Yeah... I'm back..." He paused for a moment. He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Look, Penny...about what happened earlier..."

At this, Penny turned her head. Not by much. Just enough so that Rudy could see her right eye. He winced at the sight of it. He could see the look of betrayal glowing strongly in her eye. It was clear that what he did really affected her. Even though it wasn't much, it was still enough to shake the trust she had in him.

He took a step back, feeling uncomfortable looking into that eye. He winced and he looked away. He brought his hands together, his fingers fumbling against each other anxiously. He still had to go on with the apology. He still had to tell her what was going on. There was no backing down.

"I'm really...very sorry for what I did to you, Penny." Rudy said. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

He paused. He waited to see if she would respond. She didn't say a word. She just kept staring at him. She didn't move any further. The silence worried Rudy. He would have thought she'd have something to say, but to be totally quiet like that...it was making him very worried.

Penny obviously was expecting him to say more.

"I couldn't control myself... I let my anger control me. I know, that's not much of an excuse. I should have controlled myself more." Rudy said, his voice filled with sorrow. The slightest hint of tears began to emerge in his eyes. "You have every right to be angry at me, Penny. I just hope that you realize..how sorry I really am..."

He felt disheartened when Penny still didn't say anything. He couldn't think of what else he could say to her to convince her how sorry he was. After a few minutes of silence, Rudy let a few tears fall. He closed his eyes and turned his head away.

He blew it. He blew it big time. He should have controlled himself. He should have been able to keep himself from going too far. He should have kept in touch with reality rather than allowing fantasy to take a hold. And now, because of his stupidity, he may have lost one of his closest friends. He was such an idiot.

He reopened his eyes and looked back at Penny. She was still quiet. But she had moved. She was now sitting with her side, rather than her back, facing him. She was looking straight ahead, no longer focusing her eyes on him. Her angered expression was still there, although it had faltered just a tad. Had his apology really got through to her? Rudy started to feel some hope rising inside him. Maybe there was a chance to patch things up after all.

She was biting her lip, her eyes narrowing slightly. She looked like she wanted to say something. Rudy decided to be quiet and allow her to speak.

Penny finally spoke after what felt like an hour. The awkward silence ended when Penny said, "What I don't understand is...why did you suddenly act this way, Rudy? You...never said anything the past few days. Then I come over and...all of a sudden you're...like that.."

Penny turned her head all the way around, looking at him with both eyes. He could see the anger and fear mixed in them. He also saw some sorrow and confusion. Penny looked at him as if she wasn't sure what to make of him. He moved back a step.

Penny said, "Just...why, Rudy? What got it in your head that I...wanted to betray you and Snap..? What is making you act this way? There's...gotta be something..."

"Penny..." Rudy whispered.

He started to move a little closer to her. Just as he thought, she instinctively moved back. She was still a little wary of him. He couldn't blame her. Not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable, he stopped in his tracks. He looked at Penny with an expression filled with regret and sadness.

She continued to stare at him, expecting an answer. He clenched his teeth, trying to find a way to explain it to her. He had found it easier talking to Snap about this than Penny. He had told Snap everything. Why couldn't he do the same with Penny?

It was because he had hurt her...

It was easier with Snap because he wasn't involved with why he was so upset with Penny. And he hadn't been the one he injured. Facing Penny felt more like sticking his hand in a fire. But no matter how painful it might be in the end, he still had to talk to her.

He couldn't run away now. She kept staring at him, her eyes narrowed slightly. She wasn't going to allow him to leave until he told her. Even though it was hard, he had no choice.

"Nightmares." He managed to get out.

Penny's expression softened up just a tad. She tilted her head to the side. "Nightmares? That is what's been bothering you?"

Judging from the tone of her voice, Penny didn't sound satisfied by this explanation.

Rudy felt his heart start to beat faster as he thought about the nightmares he had been having lately. His breathing started to quicken. His pupils dilated. He had to fight to keep himself under control.

"Yes!" Rudy exclaimed, a little louder than he had intended. "Horrible nightmares! Where you really did betray me and Snap! Where you had really wanted to work for Skrawl! Time and again, I've had these nightmares the past few days! Almost every dream I had was of you actually, truly betraying us! I could always hear your evil laugh, the horrible words you said... Over and over!"

Penny's expression softened up more. It was soon replaced with a look of shock. Rudy went quiet for a few minutes. He looked at Penny, waiting to see if she would say anything. But the girl was silent.

Then...came the part that he dreaded. He knew he had to tell her, though. The last bit played a key role in why he reacted so harshly to her. It was the source of all his fear he had for her. It was the reason he shoved her way so hard.

"And last night, I had the worst nightmare of them all... You...you killed me!" Rudy cried. Tears flowed down his eyes. He stared at her intensely, his eyes shimmering from his tears. "You reached behind your back, pulled out a machete, and just..shoved it through my stomach like it didn't matter to you!"

Eyes wide in horror, Penny whispered, "R-R-Rudy...I..."

"That's why I shoved you down! When you were reaching for your cellphone, I...I thought you were going to stab me!" Rudy confessed. He had been so distraught that he dropped down onto his knees. He clenched his fists tightly, digging his nails into his skin. Tears dripped from his eyes and landed on the floor. "I let my...I let my imagination get the better of me...I'm...sorry for that. I should have known that...you were just scared. I should have realized you weren't trying to...kill...me... Yet I still let my anger control me. I'll..understand if you hate me."

There, he said it. He finally said it. He told Penny just what was going on with him. He told her exactly why he reacted the way he did. Now all he could do was wait and see if Penny would forgive him. He kept his head low, his eyes closed, and waited for Penny's response.

He didn't expect her to forgive him, at least not right away. He would have thought that she would just leave him alone and refuse to communicate with him for a while. He would fully accept that if she did. He deserved some punishment after what he had done. And when the silence continued, he thought that's what she really did.

What ended up happening instead took him by complete surprise.

He hadn't realized Penny had started to come over to him. He hadn't noticed that she knelt down in front of him. He didn't sense her presence. He didn't feel her shadow falling upon. He didn't hear her. She had been so quiet. When he finally noticed her was when he felt an unusual warmth against his body.

He opened his eyes just in time to feel himself being yanked forward. Not roughly, but gently, and only a little. He found his head resting on Penny's right shoulder. The warmth he was feeling was from her arms. They had wrapped around his body and he had been pulled into an embrace. Penny's head was on his shoulder and she started to gently rub his back in a clear attempt to comfort him.

"Oh Rudy...why didn't you tell me...?" Penny whispered. "If I had known...if we had talked earlier..."

"I don't know..." Rudy returned the hug. "I...I really don't know...I thought I knew...but not anymore."

Rudy felt something wet on his shoulders. He realized it was from Penny. She was crying as well. "Rudy...I would never ever hurt you like that... I would never try to kill you. I'm your best friend. I'm so sorry that you went through all that mental turmoil. I'm sorry that my actions had hurt you more deeply than I thought. But please...if I ever do anything that upsets you like that, please tell me. I don't wish to hurt you, Rudy.. Please...talk to me next time..."

"We're...still friends...aren't we..?" Rudy asked the dreaded question. The one that he feared the answer to.

He heard Penny give a small gasp of shock. "Of course we're still friends! Why...why wouldn't we be?"

Rudy sniffled and hugged her a little tighter. "I thought that...you would have hated me.. I thought you would have called the police on me and had me arrested..."

"No I would never do that, Rudy! I care about you!" Penny cried in disbelief, clearly not believing what she was hearing. She rubbed her head against Rudy's gently.

"I just...wish I had been able to stop myself...If I had..." Rudy's eyes could see, just barely, one of the scratches that he had caused. "...you wouldn't have gotten hurt.." He started to cry harder. Guilt returned with a vengeance. He started to whisper, "I'm sorry, Penny...I'm so sorry..."

"Shhh...it's okay Rudy..." Penny whispered in a comforting tone. She continued to rub his back gently. "It'll be okay..."

Rudy just continued to cry, holding Penny tightly. He refused to let go, almost afraid she would turn away from him if he did. Penny didn't seem to mind. She continued to hug him back, whispering comforting words to him, letting out her own tears.

After a few minutes, Rudy started to slowly calm down. His cries became softer and quieter. He still didn't release his grip on Penny, but he did loosen his hands a little, fearful that he was squeezing her too hard, like before. His cries diminished into soft whimpers. Penny had gone quiet, but she remained there for him, letting him cry into her shoulder.

At long last, after what felt like an eternity, the two parted. They remained on their knees, staring at each other for a few seconds. Rudy lowered his head, still feeling ashamed about what he did. He felt Penny's hand cover his and he looked up at her.

Penny stared at him with saddened, sympathetic eyes. The hurt and anger was completely gone, replaced with understanding. She gave him a reassuring smile, a silent attempt to tell him everything was going to be okay now. Rudy wanted so much to smile back, but guilt was preventing him from doing so. Slowly, he just turned his head away from her, letting a few more tears drip from his face.

Penny reached out with a finger and wiped Rudy's tears away. He looked back at her. That smile was still on her face. He could see the shine of where her tears had been. He could see more coming out.

"Please...don't beat yourself up Rudy... You're still my best friend. I know you didn't mean to hurt me." Penny reached out and gently touched Rudy's cheek. "I forgive you."

Slowly, Rudy managed to smile back at her. He placed his hand on hers, the one that was on his cheek. "I forgive you too... I should have known that you had a good reason for what you did... I should have known you never meant for any of us to get hurt... I just...I just realized I figured that out sooner..." His smile faded and he cast his gaze downward.

"The important thing is you realized your mistake and, instead of hiding it, you were honest with me. You told me the truth, and I can't thank you enough for that." Penny said in a soft voice. "Just promise me, in the future, if I do something to hurt you this much..that you tell me, okay?"

Rudy tilted his head upwards, staring up at her. "I...I promise..."

Penny's smile broadened. "Thank you, Rudy."

Rudy raised his head up more. His eyes slowly moved towards her arms. He could still see the red marks. They still painful for him to look at. Although Penny had forgiven him, and even though the scratches weren't really a terrible injury, he still wanted to do something to make it up to her.

Rudy got up from the ground and went towards the door. Motioning with his hand, he told Penny to wait for him. He went into the bathroom and grabbed a damp washcloth as well as a dry one, a small thing of disinfectant, and two pieces of cloth. Though it might be a bit much for scratches, he still felt obligated to do this.

He came back into the room and went over to Penny. He placed the items on the ground. Penny looked at them, confused.

"What are you doing?" Penny asked.

"I want to make your scratches better. I...still feel really bad about it." Rudy admitted.

Penny said, "You don't have to do this. They're just scratches."

"Please...just let me..." Rudy pleaded with her.

"Well..okay.." Penny said before she rolled up her sleeves to make it easier for Rudy.

Rudy used the damp cloth to wash the cuts on both of her arms. He used the other wash cloth to dry the scratches, absorbing any amount of liquid left behind. When he was done, all the blood had been cleaned up. After that, he took the disinfectant. Being as gentle as he could, he applied it to the cuts. Although the cuts weren't deep, Penny did wince a little, the disinfectant obviously stinging her a little.

Finally, Rudy took the two pieces of cloth and wrapped them around both her arms. He secured them tightly, firmly, but gently. Again, he realized it might have been overkill. The scratchs weren't very deep. But, still, he felt like he had to do this to make it up to her, as a way of taking back what he did.

Penny looked at her arms, taking note of Rudy's handiwork. Although she still looked confused as to why he did it, she still smiled back at him and said, "Thanks."

Rudy nodded his head before pulling her into another embrace, which she gladly returned.

"I'm glad to see you two worked everything out."

Rudy and Penny both tensed up, startled at that voice. They swerved their heads in the voice's direction and found Snap looking at them through the portal. He had one hand draped over the hole while he was resting his head on the other. He smiled at them, a little amused from the fact that he had managed to startle them.

"Snap!" Rudy cried in disbelief. "How long were you spying?!"

Snap chuckled. "Oh you got me all wrong, Bucko! I didn't come here to spy on you and Buckette."

"Then why did you come?" Rudy asked.

Snap reached down to grab something. He held it out in front of him. "You left this at my place."

Rudy realized it was one of his pieces of magic chalk. It must have slipped out while he was at Snap's place. He went over and took it from Snap's hand. "Thank you." He said, smiling at his friend.

"No prob!" Snap said. "Hey, do you guys want to come with me to the night zone? They're having a swinging party there! It's supposed to be one of the best night zone has to offer!"

Rudy thought about this. He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to go out again. But the idea of a party sounded nice. A good way to end what had started off as a pretty bad day. He looked over at Penny.

"Do you want to go?"

Penny nodded her head. "Sure. It sounds like fun!"

"All right!" Snap said, grinning. He headed down the ladder Rudy still had left behind in ChalkZone. Behind him, Rudy and Penny followed him. "You're going to love it! Trust me!"

Rudy and Penny followed Snap as they headed towards the night zone. As they got closer, and they could hear the music faintly in the distance, and flashing colors started to fill the dark skies, Rudy stared at Penny for a moment, reflecting on what had happened.

It was scary, to him, how close he felt he came to losing her as a friend. He was still frightened at how easily he had lost his temper and hurt her. He never thought he was capable of doing something so...dark...

But he was glad that Snap convinced him to go and patch things up with her. And now that he did, he felt a lot better. Penny forgave him and she still saw him as her friend. And he didn't feel scared of her anymore. He wasn't angry at her anymore for the chalk queen incident.

"Well here it is!" Snap said as the trio stopped in front of a black colored building. Around the door's edges, they could see flashing colors mixing in together. Snap stood aside and gestured to the two. "You guys can go in first. I insist!"

Rudy looked at Penny. "After you."

Penny grabbed his arm. "Let's just go in together, okay?"

Rudy stared at her, then smiled. "Okay..."

With that, they opened up the doors and went inside, Snap following in behind them.


End file.
